Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1898 Excerpt: ... the cairn was +12 F. I reached the top, clad only in my boots, trousers, and light guernsey. My kooletah was slung across my back. I was more than glad to find my broken leg all right again. Although I could not spring from it quite as quickly and vigorously as with the other, it gave me no pain. At the thermometer cairn, we put on our snowshoes and stretched out across the snow-field. At 1.50 P.m., we reached the igloo. At two P.m., the swing thermometer registered +16 F., the temperature of the snow being--4F. We immediately proceeded to roof in the igloo, which was nine by six feet with a recurving entrance, the walls about 4 feet high, and the floor the last summer's icy surface of the ice-cap, about eighteen inches below the present surface. The ski were placed lengthwise on the end walls, supported in their middle by snow-shoes, interlaced and resting on the side walls. Then a flat roof of snow blocks was laid upon them, and the roof and walls chinked. At three P.m., our house was finished. The temperature at this time was +22 F. and the temperature of the snow still-4 F. The entire sky was a heavy lead colour. The outlines of Herbert and Northumberland Islands were barely discernible, and the lifeless light about us was of such a character that it was impossible to form any judgment of the size or distance of objects. A single snow block could be taken for a snow house, and our igloo itself at a little distance loomed up like an iceberg. The house being completed, our packs were passed in, the sleeping-bags spread out, and I immediately started the lamp for our pot of tea. Before six P.m., we had eaten our supper and were snugly stowed in our bags, wearing only our underclothing. Our fur trousers were folded and laid under the upper portion of the s...